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SAVVY
SELLING - JUNE
2, 2006
Connections
That Close Deals
By Michelle Nichols
EXECUTIVE
OVERVIEW
Two new
books on building connections
with customers.
Above and beyond
superb sales skills, walking
away with a purchase order will
often depend on the personal
ties you establish with your
client
With the explosion in sales
pitches coming at your customers
from every direction, excellent
sales skills are no longer enough
to seal a deal. Prospective
customers also want a personal
connection that separates you
from your competitors. Think
of connections as a bridge that
seasoned sales reps use to showcase
their skills and close contracts.
The Art of Connecting:
How to Overcome Differences,
Build Rapport, and Communicate
Effectively with Anyone by
Claire Raines and Lara Ewing
and Great Customer Connections:
Simple Psychological Techniques
That Guarantee Exceptional Service
by Richard Gallagher are two
new books on connecting. Given
the highly competitive sales
landscape today, they offer
some essential strategies on
how to build connections.
The Art of Connecting takes
the Golden Rule to the next
level. Raines and Ewing call
their updated version the "Titanium
Rule" and explain you should
do unto others according to
their druthers. I've quoted
their book's five core principles
and paired them with my thoughts
on how to incorporate them into
your sales routine.
1. "There's always
a bridge."
No matter how different customers
may appear when you first meet
them, there is always something
you have in common with them.
The key is to assume you have
a bridge of common experience.
Then find it and use it during
your time together.
If you know ahead of time that
you're meeting Mr. or Ms. Big,
do your research. Don't wait
until you're on the hot seat
in front of them to start searching
for mutual interests. Research
the prospects on the Internet
and ask others in your company
or industry about them. You'll
probably find several shared
interests or experiences you
can use.
2. "Curiosity
is key."
The best salespeople sell by
asking good questions. Then
they really listen to the answers.
Don't assume you know what your
prospects are going to say or
the implications of their answers.
To expand upon a connection,
the authors recommend you use
the phrase "Yes, and...."
It shows basic agreement and
then develops the exchange even
further. For example, you could
say, "Yes, that would solve
your problem and then if you
signed up for our monthly service,
you would also receive...."
3. "What you assume
is what you get."
If you go into a meeting with
an assumption of what your customer
wants or expects, you take a
big risk. What if you guessed
wrong? For example, if your
customers don't say much during
a meeting, you might assume
they are aloof. They might instead
be shy, distracted, or have
just had major dental work.
They might come from a culture
where it is rude to ask questions
in front of strangers.
A great way to use this principle,
according to the book, is to
ask the customers what they
think success would look and
feel like. Keep asking until
you feel you really understand
their criteria for success.
This will build a great connection
-- because your customers will
feel heard and understood, and
you will know exactly what to
accomplish.
During your work, keep asking
the customer for feedback. To
illustrate this point, in the
book, Hector Orci, the co-founder
of communications firm La Agencia
de Orci, is quoted saying, "Don't
hold back. I'd rather be offended
than fired." When a customer
doesn't buy from you anymore,
you are in effect fired.
4." Every individual
is a culture."
This principle reminds you that
not all senior citizens or Norwegians
or disabled customers think
and act alike. Since everyone
is a combination of a variety
of influencing factors, take
the time to find out more about
that person than the first characteristic
you notice. Learn what kind
of art and movies they like,
their educational background,
or where they've traveled. You
don't like to be categorized
by one characteristic and your
customers don't either.
5. "No strings
attached."
This is another version of that
old networking rule: Give without
expectations. Be generous, especially
with things that don't cost
you much time or money. Introductions,
information, and insight are
all valuable assets you can
give away in unlimited amounts.
Most of the above principles
are great for connecting with
your customers before you make
your first sale. The examples
from the second book, which
are listed below, are intended
for when things go wrong, which
they certainly can during a
long sales cycle or relationship.
These principles can also be
used when customers can't have
everything on their wish list,
which often happens too. After
all, most customers would like
to have products and services
of the highest quality, the
latest design, the best reliability,
and at the lowest price.
Here are two basic principles
from Great Customer Connections
paired with my comments,
that you can use in situations
where you have to say no but
don't want to lose the sale.
1. "Understand
-- and speak to -- the customer's
own perspective."
Gallagher suggests you use key
phrases from the customer's
own words when responding to
his objection or complaint.
For instance, if he wants a
product to be delivered by his
daughter's birthday, then make
sure "your daughter's birthday"
is somewhere in your response.
Also, speak to your customers
with respect. Recall the last
time you couldn't get what you
wanted -- maybe it was out of
your price range or just didn't
exist. The delivery of disappointing
news makes a big difference
in how the receiver feels.
2. "Use positive
responses to difficult situations."
Gallagher calls this the "can-can."
He suggests you focus on what
you can do instead of what you
can't. We've all had salespeople
tell us "that's not our
policy" and "it's
your fault, not ours."
Instead, try something like
this: "That sounds really
frustrating. Don't worry, you
have some options. Would you
like me to review them with
you?"
He also recommends that if
you have to deliver bad news,
remember to set the stage beforehand.
For example, if a customer brings
a clock to you to be repaired
and your service department
accidentally breaks it, don't
just blurt that out. Rather,
start with, "We had a situation
with your clock. I'm going to
try to break down what happened.
I'm terribly sorry and we are
going to do everything possible
to make this situation right."
It's said that the shortest
distance between two people
is a connection. I hope the
principles from these two new
books have added some arrows
to your quiver of ways to build
-- and profit from -- connections
with your customers. Happy selling!
Michelle Nichols is a
professional sales speaker and
consultant based in Reno, Nevada.
She welcomes your questions
and comments. You can visit
her web site at www.savvyselling.com
or contact her at michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com.
Her toll-free number is (877)
352-9684.
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